Tobias's Initiation
by Lolbookworm1118
Summary: Starting from Tobias in Abnegation living under Marcus's roof, all the way through initiation and his life afterwards. There isn't a lot of information in the book, so every version of this could be different. But I hope you enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first fanfic, so please just try it. The story starts when Tobias is fifteen and a few days before the initiation ceremony, the first chapter is him on a typical night with his father, hope you enjoy!**

_Quietly, quietly_ I remind myself again. He could be here any minute, a single creak, the tiniest whisper could ignite him. He could manipulate anything into a sin, a sign of selfishness. 15 years of living under his roof, and he was still just as unpredictable, just as wild. A seething hatred spreads through me, like a fire burning my skin. I shut my eyes and remind myself once again, I am in Abnegation, hatred is an act of unjust bias, an act of my own thoughts. No, that is not allowed, especially under the roof of the _Holy Marcus._

I creep quietly to the fridge, my bruised hand wrapping delicately around the stiff metal bar. I shudder, as stiff as the flick of the whip, the sharp fire sensation, then the pain. Oh, the pain, as it would spread through me. I open the fridge as the light blinds me momentarily, I squint and peer into our well-stocked fridge. I freeze as my fingers brush past the box of dry ice. Oh, now that is much much worse than the whip. It is a slower sensation, but that just makes if more painful. I can just see that wretched piece of ice pressed against my skin. I close my eyes and try to block out the image. My hands shake as I continue looking for that little square of bread. We aren't allowed to get anything more lavish than that. Bread, plain pasta, porridge, milk, cheese. Nothing more, that would be selfish.

The following events happen as if in slow motion. My elbow knocks against the back shelf and the rock hard cheese falls the poorly built wooden floor. _Clank_. That's all it takes. The sound of him being roused from his sleep. The creak of the bed springs, the steady footsteps on above, the belt being taken from the post, the heavy footsteps walking down the stairs. _One, Two, Three, Four, Five._ That evil glint in his eyes as he faces me. He slowly unwraps the belt, and purses his lips, "Now what would a little boy like you be doing up so late at night?"

I shudder, "Nothing father, I..I was just hungry."

"Showing hunger is a sign of selfishness, as is waking up your poor father in the middle of the night. _This is for your own good"_, his voice echoes in my ears as I see the raise of the belt. I cringe into the wall and curl up into a ball. _Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out, _I have been through this dozens of times, it shouldn't affect me anymore. It isn't that scary, just a bit of pain. Maybe it really is for my own good. But it isn't, it _is _scary, it _does _hurt, and it certainly _isn't _for my own good.

Then the belt comes down and hits the skin, a burning pain, sharp, hot, and white spreads through me, starting from my thigh making its way through my body. For now, that's all there is, a sharp white pain. But tomorrow, it will start to bruise, and that would be yet another round of heart-stopping pain. _Just endure it, it will be over soon_. But it isn't. the lashes, the burn, goes on for 20 minutes, never stopping.

I limp back to my bedroom, curl into my bed. I have to get out of here, I need to be somewhere else. Anywhere else, just not somewhere where he can touch me. Then I will be safe, and there will be nothing to worry about.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry that its so short and it only covers a little bit of information, I didn't know what to write for the simulation. Hopefully you can slowly learn about Tobias's past and about his mother. Everyone's is probably a bit different, but I hope you enjoy.**

The next morning, my whole body hurts. The soreness, the pain. I limp out of bed and rush out before Marcus can do anything. I'll get another beating when I get back, but that would've happened anyways. I bend my head as I walk out into the street. As abnegation, we have to keep a low profile. Always help, draw no attention to yourself. I pass a factionless man on my way there, I quickly pull my lunch out of my pocket, he will need it more than me. He mumbles, "Good man, good man,"as he walks away.

When I get to school the whole school is abuzz. _What is going on?_ I want to ask, but that would be drawing attention to myself. Then I remember, could I possibly sixteen already? That means, that there is a chance I can leave my father and never look back again. I feel a surge of guilt, my father would be so embarrassed. But I narrow my eyes, I don't care, he can deal with himself. I turn my head as the Dauntless jump off the train like every morning. They are so wild so free, I sigh inwardly. I cringe, could someone else have heard that sound? It could be interpreted as a sound of disappointment, which could be considered thinking too much of yourself. But no, no one, except that little girl, also abnegation. I think her name is Beatrice, she lives down the road. I think she is fourteen, but it can't be, she looks no more than 12. She's quite pretty though, blonde sharp nose, beautiful blue eyes. I turn away, I'm not supposed to stare. The classes go by slowly, but I have no interest in them, after tomorrow, my whole life will change.

After lunch, which I didn't have, we walk into the waiting area before the Aptitude tests. I sit quietly and wait until my name is called. Everyone here is so quiet, so calm. It's beautiful. I just wish I could stay here and live this beautiful selfless life as Marcus appears to do, but no, I am selfish, and I want to have a better future.

"From Abnegation: Tobias Eaton and Annika Lee. From Dauntless: Zeke Beanser and…"

I don't hear any more of it, I am shaking so badly, I am sure everyone can see it. Everything around me seems to be spinning and all the words seem like a jumble of sounds. _Calm down_, I tell myself, this is nothing to be a afraid of. Everyone is doing it, and they are not nervous or scared. My only resolve is that I am definitely transferring, it doesn't matter where, I just know that I can't stay here. Perhaps I should go to Amity, that's supposed to be a happy place right? I can't get hurt there. Or maybe Erudite, I could find a cure to this internal pain and unjust feelings of hatred. Just as long as I'm not near him. That is all I need.

I wipe my hands on my pants and wince as my bruises yell in protest. _Just relax, walk up there and take that test and leave._ My test administrator is a Dauntless woman named Tori. She seems to have a kind face, relatively piercing free, unlike some of the other Dauntless that I have seen. I would never fit in with the Dauntless, they are too intimidating and they would just remind me constantly of the pain that I suffered for the past 6 years. I suddenly have a longing for my mother, Evelyn. She was kind to me, and the only one that understood. While everyone else saw Marcus as this saint, my mother was the only person who saw him as he truly was, a cruel man who had a reputation to hold up. But she left, she was too cowardly to stand up to my father and tell the world his sins. I felt a brief white lash of hatred pulse through me, I knew in the back of my mind that that would have resulted in even more riot, but I chose to ignore it. My mother abandoned me to the hands of my father for some relief from him in another man. I would never do that to her. I pushed her out my mind, and shyly tried to smile at Tori. She turned around and I saw a bird tattooed on the back of her neck. I was intrigued, what could those birds possibly mean? Was it a fear she overcame? Did it prove her fearlessness? She turned around and caught me staring at it, she arched an eyebrow, and I looked down and felt my face turn red. But she chuckled and said, "Ah, you Abnegation, always so modest. If you were wondering, that bird stands for the fear I overcame, darkness. Its supposed to stand for light and I thought it could protect me in darkness. Of course now it's just a reminder of the fear I overcame."

I nod to show my sign of understanding, just as my mother taught me before she left. Tori attaches some thing to my head and brings out a small cup of orange liquid. I freeze, it looks just like the liquid Marcus gives me to make me throw up, reminder of what the factionless feel when I take too much food at the dinner table. Tori smiles in sympathy and tells me, "No need to be afraid, its just a simulation."

I nod slightly and down the liquid. _It will be alright_ I tell myself, this is not Marcus, everyone has to drink this. I settle back in the chair and let the simulation take me.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I had to do a lot of reference to the book for this chapter. PLEASE post some reviews, I am new at this and I could use some helpful critisism(bleh i don't even know how to spell that). And I hope this chapter is accurate. Hope you enjoy!**

The instant I closed my eyes, I seemed to spring back from the reclining chair. But now I'm not in the aptitude test room anymore, I'm in the school cafeteria. It's looks hot outside, and I internally wince as I think about the hot white burning pain of Marcus's belt. My thoughts are interrupted as I hear a woman's voice, "Choose."

I freeze, she sounds just like Evelyn, but she isn't. She's blonde and has her hair pulled back. She belongs to Erudite, I can tell. She has glasses and is quite pretty. _Jeanine Mathews_ I recognize her. Marcus hates her, because she suspects the truth about the relationship between my father and me.

"Choose" she is getting impatient. I look at what she is pointing at. A long sharp knife the length of my forearm and a hunk of cheese. My mouth waters as I look at the cheese, I haven't had food since yesterday at lunch. I was locked in the closet last night after I came home with a bad grade. But that just makes me think of Marcus, how lovely it would be to see his blood flowing and face swollen, for him to finally learn a lesson. I unconsciously pick up the knife as I mutter "This is for your own good". Jeanine Mathews looks me in the eye and asks, "Why did you choose the knife?"

I can't tell her the truth. I just can't. "I…I want to be protected for whatever is coming next."

She narrows her eyes, she knows I'm lying. Which is not surprising. I've never been a good liar anyways. But she doesn't do anything, she smiles a cold half smile says in an eerily pleasant voice, "Whatever you say."

Her words seem blurred, like they are coming over a telephone. She seems blurry, What is going on? When I look around again, my surroundings have changed. I hear a door squeak and turn to see who it is. I freeze, it's a dog. A big one, a _very_ big one. I look at the knife in my hand, it's still there. I don't want to hurt, it would be the first step into turning into Marcus, and I can't allow myself to become that. But if I don't do anything, I might die. First I look for any signs of aggression. It looks alright. So I turn on my heels and walk towards the door. The next seems to happen in slow motion. The door seems to disappear as does everything else. My chest hurts. That's when I see the huge black dog leaning over me, his sharp teeth just inches from my skin. Instinctively I throw my hand at it. Except this time, there's a knife there. The knife plunges into its torso and the dog goes limp. Tears start pouring out of my eyes as I realize I just killed something. _I_ did that. Marcus is starting to rub off me!

Just as grief starts to fill me, I am suddenly whisked off to another scene. I am standing atop a ledge, with the wide ocean below me. I gasp, I seem to have trouble breathing. Why can't I breathe? My head is starting to get dizzy, my mind is fuzzy. And that's when I hear the scream. My Abnegation wired mind rushes to find out who it is and help them. Just as I round the bend, I see a girl getting pushed off the ledge. For a moment I see Evelyn, her face aghast and filled with horror as Marcus pushes her off the ledge. And then I blink, and its just a regular blonde girl and a faceless man pushing her off. Still, I rush to the edge and throw myself off to save this mysterious blonde girl with blue eyes. She looks so helpless, so small. And then it all comes back, my fear of heights. The emptiness, the inevitable crash that would soon follow. I start to shake uncontrollably. Just as we are about to hit the rock hard water below, I wake up.

I am back in the chair, safe and sound. Tori is there, eyes looking wonderingly at me. She seems unsteady. Like I, I think back to that heart-stopping situation that I just faced. It was all fake, but it felt so real. The moment of no control and weightlessness, as I crashed to the rock hard surface, it would linger in me for the rest of my life. I shudder and return back to reality.

Tori looks at me straight in the eye and whispers, "Tobias, listen to me carefully. This is very important. Your test results were inconclusive. Typically each stage of the simulation eliminates one or more of the factions, but in your case only 3 have been ruled out.

"If you had shown an automatic distaste for the knife and selected the cheese, the simulation would have led you to a different scenario that confirmed your aptitude for Amity. That didn't happen, so Amity is out." Tori narrows her eyes as if it is my fault that she has to deal with this situation. My defiant side comes out. But before I can say anything she continues, "You chose the knife, so the next thing we needed to know was why you chose the knife. This was for 2 reasons. For one, there is a bit of truth serum, not enough to convince your brain to always tell the truth, but enough to detect a lie. Since you lied, Candor was ruled out.

"The other reason was to genuinely see the reason of you picking the knife. Dauntless generally choose it because they always want a weapon with them to protect themselves. It didn't matter what you said because we already know you were lying." I hope she doesn't ask me the real reason why I picked the knife, it would seem so suspicious. She raises her eyebrows but doesn't say anything.

"Anyways, next was the dog. That one obviously pointed to Dauntless traits. Nothing special. So the last situation was to rule out Abnegation. But the thing is, it didn't. You saved the girl, an Abnegation trait. So that means you have an even aptitude for Abnegation _and _Dauntless. Which means you are," she looks around as if someone could be listening, then she stares me straight in the eye and whispers, "_Divergent_."

Tori continues, "Now it is incredibly vital that you keep this a secret. This is much more serious than other people, people are looking for you, and it could cost your life."

I gulp and nod. I'm still happy over the fact that I have aptitude for something other than Abnegation. Dauntless would not be high on my list but anything to get away from Marcus is welcomed. Tori seems to have aged in the mere 20 minutes that I have been here. She sighs in frustration and dismisses me. I am too stumpted to even say thank you. I nod unsteadily and leave the room.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: A little bit of fourtris here. I know its totally out of context, but fluff is always fun. A bit of Marcus and Tobias tension! Hope you enjoy! Thanks for the reviews, hope for more!**

When I get home, Marcus is already there. I cringe and try to move past him without him noticing. Like the bad luck that I always have, he notices. But strangely today, he seems to be smiling. This is strange, very strange.

"Ah, Tobias, how are you today? I trust your aptitude test went well?" I get it now, he's trying to be kinds so I would pick Abnegation tomorrow. _Not a chance_. I narrow my eyes and reply as nicely as I can. Might as well relish it while I can. "It was fine, thank you."

He frowns just the slightest bit, he searching for information, "Oh come on son! Details! What happened?"

This is very unnatural, he's the role model of Abnegation, he isn't supposed to probe for questions. He must be very desperate. I stifle a scoff with a cough, when did _I_ ever matter to _him_? "Sorry father, I am supposed to keep that information to myself."

His eyes narrow, _Bad mistake_, he struggles to keep his voice light. I can tell tonight is not going to be pleasant, "But son, it is selfish to keep information to yourself, and I cannot let this sin go by unpunished." My eyes widen and I forget everything else. Not again. "I got the obvious, Abnegation."

He smiles and icy blue coldness replaces the fire of the thrill of another beating. His smile widens until it becomes eerily cheerful. "We were invited to dinner Tobias, with the Priors. Wouldn't it be great to have a last night out before becoming an official member of _Abnegation_." He emphasizes the "Abnegation" part. It is almost a threat. But that will not change my mind. If he thinks he convince in one night that I can forget 6 years of relentless beating and confinement, he is mistaken. I am finally going to make a good future in my terrible life.

Half an hour late we are on the bland but comforting porch of the Prior's house. I don't know them well, just that Mr. Prior works with Marcus in government and they have to children. 2 years younger than me. Marcus raps professionally on the door and puts on his fake smile. He disgusts me.

The young daughter opens the door. I remember now, Beatrice Prior, she's the one that was watching the Dauntless trains this morning. Was I mistaken? Was she younger than 14? She looks no more than 12. I quickly dismiss the thought. She's quite pretty, blonde hair tied into a basic bun behind her head, large inquisitive blue eyes, sharp nose. Unusual, but pretty. Now I realize that we have been staring at each other for a while now, and as her brother approaches behind her and nudges her, she drops her gaze and her face go red. A strange feeling goes through me, I want to reach out and cup her small chin in my hand. I close my eyes to rid of the thought. How strange, I have never felt this way, ever. As well I am not supposed too, Abnegation are always supposed to think of others. But against my will I gaze into her eyes and smile at her. She bites her lip but quickly smiles back.

Her house is identical as mine, except for the faint blood marks across the clean marble floor. A familiar burn of hatred pulses through me. I am guided to the seat by Ms. Prior, she seems nice enough. I wince as she touches my bruises. She seems to notice and she smiles sympathetically at me, but doesn't say anything. Good, pity doesn't change anything, doesn't make it any better. I sit next to Beatrice, she smile shyly and nods at me with the classic Abnegation nod. She doesn't belong here, I can see her squirming in her seat trying to fit in. I like her, she looks like she has a warm fire within her, making her strong.

Dinner is good, they have prepared slightly more lavishly for us as guests. I eat as much as I can. Who knows when Marcus will ever let me eat. Then I smile, in 24 hours I will be away from here. Might as well enjoy my last night in Abnegation. Even though I am anxious to be out of here, I still feel a small tug of longing. This has been my faction from my whole life, and it will still be hard to let go. After dinner I am told to accompany Beatrice and Conner (or Caleb), I honestly don't remember. Although we have to maintain a serious and selfless image on the outside, we are allowed to let loose on our own. We sit outside on the porch steps and begin a game.

It is a simple rhyming game and it soon starts to get boring, Caleb goes inside to do who knows what and I am alone with Beatrice. For some unknown reason a feel tingles when I am alone with her. I quickly shake off the feeling. "So…umm…your choosing ceremony is tomorrow."

I freeze, ah the single topic I don't want to talk about. "Yes, it is a big event for my family." The typical Abnegation issued answer.

"Are you nervous?"

"Well, I'm just deciding the rest of my life, why would I be nervous?" I wince, that came out wrong, the Abnegation don't appreciate sarcasm.

Her response startles me. She chuckles, "I know right." She says with too much enthusiasm to be real, "They all treat the rest of our lives way to seriously!" she bursts into a fit of giggles and claps her hand over her mouth as she realizes what she has just done.

I smile, amused. But inside I feel that warm tingling feeling of…of I frankly don't know. I turn red and try to hide myself under the darkness of night. Suddenly she places her hand on my chest and leans back, pushing me with her. We gaze at the sky, the beautiful stars. The only thing that will never change whatever faction we are in.


	5. Chapter 5

The night passed quickly and surprisingly, uneventfully. This is the most peaceful night under Marcus's for years. And it will be peaceful for the rest of my life after tomorrow. I drift off into a hard-to-come-by painless sleep.

The next morning I feel light and bouncy. _This_ is the day my life will change for good. _This _is the day I will be free. The more I think about it, the happier I feel. Dauntless seems to sound better and better in my head. Freedom. They have freedom to run, to play, no listening to rules. Marcus seems to be very wary of my buoyancy. He knows it's out of place. Still, he keeps quiet to try to relieve the tension in the room.

We ride quietly into the city. Marcus is one of the few people in Abnegation who has a car. Because he is _so_ important, no one questioned him. We are close to the Hub, I can tell its as if a giant wave of dimness just passed over us. It is the tallest building in the city and we are very proud of it. Even though the Abnegation sector is farthest from the Hub, it seems to dominate sky from the view of my bedroom. I should know, as I have been locked there for days at a time. Of course, that isn't as bad as the closet. It is so small, and as time passes, it's as if the walls are slowly caving in on you, and you could be crushed any minute. My eyes glaze over at the thought, and Marcus notices. He stiffens, "Son, I am looking forward to see you as an initiate after the ceremony, and soon a member."

I nod stiffly. Might as well maintain this fragile peace while I still have it. There hasn't been an Abnegation-born child who's transferred in years, but Marcus knows I probably have my doubts. Not only would he lose his only family, but he would receive the shame of having yet another one of his family become a turn-coat and leave him. Not that other people would see him differently. They love Marcus, all of them. He is the unsaid president of Abnegation. To them, he is a saint, the most selfless on earth. They think of me as the strange son who stays in the house all day for no reason, who skips school for the fun of it. They are too polite to say it, but they all think it. Like I care. Except, I do care...at least how one person sees it. I think back to the yearn last night, to want Beatrice to think good of me. I shake it off, it shouldn't matter.

As we leave the car and follow the other Abnegation to the elevator, Marcus puts on his saint face and walks away from the crowd waiting for the elevator and starts up the stairs. I would admire him for his selflessness if it weren't for the truth about him. I follow like the proper Abnegation son I am supposed to be, and soon many other Abnegation follow. I smile, I belong here, in this beautiful and selfless world. But then I think of Marcus, no I can't live in terror the rest of my life. As we follow to the last flight of stairs and come out through the doorway, I see Jeanine Matthews waiting at the podium and stiffen. I think back to my aptitude test and recall the questions she asked me. I try to duck as we pass her, but she still sees me. Her eyes are blank, she doesn't recognize me. I relax. Of course she wouldn't recognize me, it was just a simulation. Just because they put her avatar into the system doesn't mean she is really there.

I walk to the ringed off area along the wall and find my place to stand. We are supposed to be in alphabetical order, according to our last names. I stand between a Dauntless girl with dark hair and a pierced eyebrow. She scoffs as I stand next to her, "Hi stiff, feeling a little bit _stiff_ there?" She laughs an ugly laugh with a friend next to her. They are probably sisters.

I quickly quench the quick burn of anger and reply as steadily as I can, it is the standard Abnegation answer, "No, I am fine thank you. Thank you for feeling concerned."

It makes them laugh even more. She's most probably staying in Dauntless. I _will_ beat her, and she'll regret anything she ever said to me. I jump back. I am shocked by my own thoughts. When did I ever feel like this before? They are too violent for the gentle person that I am. An Erudite boy to my left whimpers. He is as tall as me, but that is where the similarities stop. He wears a disheveled blue blazer and simple blue pants. His eyes are dark grey and cold. They flash dangerously as his gaze passes me.

The ceremony starts. Jeanine stands on the podium behind the large choosing bowls. When I say large, I mean _large_. They are almost big enough for me to fit in them. For the first time I notice the amount of people in the room. I start to shake. It isn't everyone, but there already seems to be an alarming amount of people here. Jeanine adjust her glasses and clears her throat, "Welcome," she says, "Welcome to the Choosing Ceremony. Welcome tot the day we honor the democratic philosophy of our ancestors, which tells us that every man has the right to choose his own way in this world."

It is the same every year. The leaders/spokesperson of each faction rotates as the host of the event. As Marcus's son, I have to come every year. Which makes it even scarier. I know that in the many years that I have watched the Choosing Ceremony, no Abnegation-born child has ever transferred.

Jeanine continues, "Our dependents are now sixteen. They stand on the precipice of adulthood, and it is now up to them to decide what kind of people they want to be." Her voice shakes slightly. She is afraid of public speaking. I almost laugh aloud, the all powerful Jeanine Matthews is afraid of public speaking! "Decades ago our ancestors realized that it is not political ideology, religious belief, race, or nationalism that is to blame for the warring world. Rather, they determined that it was fault of human personality—of humankind's inclination toward evil, in whatever form that is. They divided into factions that sought to eradicate those qualities they believed responsible for the world's disarray.

"Those who blamed aggression formed Amity." I've never cared much for Amity, they seem to happy-go-lucky.

"Those who blamed ignorance became the Erudite." Jeanine says the word proudly, she believes in her faction wholeheartedly.

"Those who blamed duplicity created Candor." I find this partly true, but Candor was never something I could've imagined myself in.

"Those who blamed selfishness made Abnegation." Yes, I agree. But I can't. I'm too much of a coward.

"And lastly, those who blamed cowardice made Dauntless." Marcus's behavior to me is cowardice. I have to change those type of people in this world. I have to protect all the other Tobias's from their beaters.

I block out whatever she says next. The world is spinning. What's happening? I hear a cheer from Dauntless as the girl who called me a stiff lets her blood drip on the burning coals. Her name is Lauren. Next is the Erudite boy with the gray eyes. His name is Eric. He walks up unsteadily and cuts his hand. Jeanine gazes at him, almost reproachfully. His hand moves toward the Erudite bowl, but with a jerk, he opens it above the Dauntless bowl. Jeanine almost smiles approvingly. How suspicious.

It's my turn next. Strangely, I feel confident as I walk towards those bowls. But Marcus isn't, I watch him in the corner of my eye. His is smiling at me gently, and his eyes almost seem warm. It just disgusts me more. I walk with more gait and cut my hand, I am too happy to even feel the sting. I walk steadily to the Dauntless bowl and let my blood flow. A proud sensation passes through me. This is my first act of defiance to my father. I glare at him and see him with fire burning in his eyes. I. Don't. Care. He's struggling with his emotions and its hard for him not to come running at me with his belt.

Meanwhile, Abnegation is in uproar. This is the first transfer they have had in years, and it's _holy_ Marcus's son. I sit next to Eric and stare straight ahead for the rest of the ceremony.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to post. i just got back from vacation in Australia, and I have jetlag. We have final exams in 2 days, so much pressure. Anyways, hope you like this segment of the story.**

The rest of the ceremony goes by in a blur. I refuse to look at Marcus. I try to convince myself it's an act of defiance, but I know it's not. I feel guilty. Maybe I was biased when I left him, I was thinking during my pain, and I wasn't thinking of the times he was good to me. Maybe I could learn to love the man on the outside. I know everyone has flaws, maybe I could've just learned to take it with a passive expression. But it's too late now; I have already made my choice.

But I have to see him one last time. Maybe he will forgive me, maybe I was wrong about him. Maybe there is a conscience under his cruel exterior covered in yet another layer of deception. I turn to look at him, and I regret it. His eyes burn with hatred so strong, it's as if he can burn a hole into me without even touching me. I know that look. It's the look he gives me every other night. As he slowly unwraps the belt loop by loop. Then I know. He doesn't have a conscience; he really is a wolf in sheep's clothing. But I remind myself that I am free now, and I stare back with equal ferocity. I am Dauntless now; it's about time I act like it. I feel the fire of courage spreading through me. I have always been Dauntless, and I know that now. I sit straighter and raise my head slightly. I put on a cocky smile, like the Dauntless have always plastered on their faces. As the Dauntless in front of me start whooping and running toward the stairs, I follow them, yelping when they do. A Dauntless born initiate runs along side me, whooping along with the crowd. He turns to smile at me and yells over the noise, "So! You, being a Stiff and all, this must be a change eh?"

The words are mocking, but his tone is playful. What do I reply? But before I say anything he just laughs and sprints forwards, pumping his fists. We are sprinting out of the Hub, running towards the trains. I freeze, the _trains_. The moving ones.

Now that I am free from Marcus, other thoughts start to cloud in. What now? I follow behind and stay in the shadows? If I can even pass initiation! All I know about initiation is that it's incredibly hard to pass. I am from Abnegation, the stiff faction. The weakest of them all, except maybe Amity. I hear the train horn, and I see it in the distance. It's getting closer, closer. 100 meters, 50 meters, 10 meters. The Dauntless member start jumping in. They make it look so easy, like gliding in. Soon all that's left is the initiates. I see the Dauntless boy who talked to me laugh as he leaps in. I close my hands into fists, and start running. Then, it comes so naturally. The power pulsing through me, I am fast, I am strong, I am powerful. I am Dauntless. I leap sideways, catching the handle and I stand firmly on the train floor. I laugh, this is where I belong. Among these people who are each unique, but strong in different ways.

The Dauntless boy walks up to me. "That was good, really good. Especially for a stiff like you," He smiles and pulls out his hand, "The name's Zeke."

I cringe at his hand. But then I remember, I am someone new here. I am not Tobias Eaton, the strange son of Marcus Eaton, who was never seen out of the house. Here I am an unknown person, a brave boy from Abnegation, who stepped forward and took a leap. I place my hand in Zeke's, but it still feels unnatural. If he notices, he doesn't comment. "Just call me the Stiff for now."

He chuckles and claps his hand on my shoulder. This is the land of the free. Zeke wanders off to talk to his friends, a girl who Zeke calls Shauna. I just grab onto the handlebars and stick my head out the swirling tunnel of wind outside. The adrenaline helps me block out any thoughts of my old faction.

Soon I see sounds of whooping coming from the left. I hear mutters behind me voicing my thoughts. _They're jumping. Onto a roof. With a huge gap in between the train and the roof. _The Dauntless born in our car push us out of the way and start leaping. It looks so natural for them. And it should be natural for me too; they're the same age as me. Eric leaps, but he stumbles and falls down. I cringe, not a good sign. But then I see the Dauntless born starting to laugh at me, I'm the only person left in my car. I close my eyes and block out any other thoughts, and jump.

I land nicely on the ground. No a scratch. I smile and raise my head high. I can do this. The Dauntless born stop laughing. Eric is glaring. I try to look down and ignore them. Then Zeke tries to break the tension, "Hey man, that was pretty good for a stiff, we should keep an eye on you more often."

I smile tentatively, this is getting creepy. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Lauren whispering to some girl next to her, and they keep giggling and looking at me. This is Dauntless? But my thoughts are interrupted as an older looking Dauntless with dark skin and grey hair at his temples, "Listen up! My name is Max! I am one of the leaders of your new faction!"

I notice how quiet many of the other members are in his presence. Max continues, "As the next stage of initiation, you will be jumping the roof of this building to the entrance of our compound. Initiates go first. If you do not jump off, well, hopefully, you will. Because then you'll face the consequences of being factionless."

An Amity girl with wispy blonde hair kneels down and starts crying. Amity children are probably all too kind to belong in Dauntless. A Dauntless girl smirks and sashays up the ledge. Then her face goes white, she's about to step back when Zeke chuckles and says, "Not too cocky now, eh Shauna?"

Shauna glares back and turns to the ledge again, she takes a deep breath. She's trembling. I would be too if I was in her position. She takes a step toward the air as if it's normal ground and plunges forward. She screams and all of the initiates turn white. But then we hear her laughter, and the rest of the crowd starts cheering. Caught on by the positive energy of the people, I cheer too. Slowly, more Dauntless-born initiates approach the ledge and leap off. Each jump is awarded by a cheer. I suddenly have a yearning to be part of that. Unconsciously, I step forward. The people around me start snickering, well now I can't back down. I force myself to think of it as motivation. I am the first transfer, and I'm also a stiff. I guess it's expected. I step onto the ledge and shudder. What is in that swirling void of darkness. It's so high up. But I convince myself that everyone feels this. I close my eyes and pretend that I am just stepping on normal ground, just like Shauna. Except it isn't. The gut wrenching sensation of falling. _I'm going to hit the ground and die._ I can just see it. I hate it. The whole feeling. But before I know it, I hit something. It hurts. But this is not as bad as it's supposed to be. _I'm not dead_. It's a net. I laugh, and I hear the cheers from on top of the roof. This is great. I slide off the net. And a young man comes out to greet me.

"Hello, My name is Amar, I will be your instructor. What is your name."

I take this question more seriously than I should. I don't want everyone to know me as the traitor son of Marcus the great. I consider it, and shake my head. I don't want them to know yet.

Amar chuckles and nods, "Alright stiff, whatever you want. As long as perform well, I don't give a damn who you are," He claps a hand on my back and whispers, "Welcomes to Dauntless."

**A/N: Just found out Amar was gay, well, creepy. Anyways I hope you liked the chapter, and help me comes up with names of all the other initiates! Thanks.**


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